On My Own

Can love be revived after a devastating betrayal?
Dirk Benedict is on top of the world. As the most valuable player of last year’s championship football game and the league’s top quarterback , he’s welcomed almost everywhere. Except his birthplace. When the network decides to film a piece on his early life, he must go home and face the music.
Caroline Jackson has her hands full with a full-time job and raising a rambunctious son. Oh, and keeping the child’s existence secret from his father. But as with all well laid plans, this one falls apart in spectacular fashion and life as she knows it is about to change. Big time.
After suffering a blow harder than one delivered by a four hundred pound tackle, will Dirk be able to recover and forgive Caroline?
Excerpt:
“These people are bat-shit crazy!”
Dirk simply crooked an eyebrow at his personal assistant, Monique Ross, and gave her a slight nod of his head. His assistant’s assessment of his hometown was spot on. “Told you.”
“But, I mean, you’re the most famous quarterback in the league, and I couldn’t get one of them to acknowledge that you even lived here. What’s the deal with that?”
Without saying a word, Dirk sank into the softness of the hotel limo’s leather seat and closed his eyes. This was not how he wanted to spend the week before the big game against Pittsburgh. His plan was to hang out downtown in the team’s hotel and avoid Devinne altogether. There was nothing or no one here for him. He learned that hard fact years ago. The network broadcasting the game had other plans though. They wanted a story for their pre-game about him returning home, the townspeople welcoming him with open arms. He all but laughed in their faces and told them no way, not going to happen. He didn’t want to go home. Too many bad memories, but he didn’t tell them that or even give them a reason for his refusal. Didn’t think he needed to provide them with one. But when Coach cornered him and confessed the higher ups were putting pressure on him, Dirk relented.
So here he was, wasting his and Monique’s time. It didn’t look like his hometown wanted to see him, and he sure had no desire to be here.
Time had not been kind to Devinne, Pennsylvania. As they drove into town, he was amazed at the lack of cars in the steel mill parking lot. Used to be that workers had to arrive an hour before their scheduled shifts to get a good spot. The once thriving Main Street was a ghost of its former self. Boarded up storefronts lined the streets. Groups of men gathered on the corners, hands in pockets and hopelessness on their faces. Yeah, a lot had changed in ten years-time.
“This is awful,” Monique muttered. “How are we going to film a program about the life of Dirk Benedict without something about where you grew up?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but a woman with curly red hair rushing down the street caught his attention. It couldn’t be? Before he could stop himself, he opened the limo door and began to run after her. Only one person had hair like that, as if he could ever forget. It had to be Caroline Jackson.